Use of Negative Classifiers for Internet Traffic

1. A method of dividing Internet protocol (IP) packets into separate flows that are transmitted over different links, said method including at least one of a Cable Modem (CM) and a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) performing the steps of: determining whether said IP packets meet specified positive criteria using positive classifiers established by a policy server, wherein said determining comprises examining said IP packets to determine whether said IP packets are destined for a particular port; subsequently and separately determining whether said IP packets do not meet other negative criteria using negative classifiers established by the policy server, wherein said subsequent and separate determining comprises examining said IP packets to determine whether said IP packets are directed to or from a particular IP address using said particular port; and dividing said packets into flows based on the results of said determining and said subsequent and separate determining, wherein said dividing comprises: responsive to a determination that said IP packets meet said specified positive criteria and do not meet said other negative criteria, directing said IP packets to an enhanced flow; and responsive to a determination that said IP packets meet said specified positive criteria and meet said other negative criteria, directing said IP packets to a best effort flow.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said classified packets are transmitted in flows on a link between said CM and said CMTS.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein said packets flow in both directions between said CM and said CMTS.

4. The method recited in claim 3 wherein packets are classified and divided into flows at both said CM and at said CMTS.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein one of said flows is transmitted on a best effort basis between said CM and said CMTS.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for performing the method recited in claim 1 when executed by the at least one of said CM and said CMTS.

7. The method recited in claim 1 wherein said subsequent and separate determining whether said packets do not meet other negative criteria is responsive to a determination that said packets meet said specified positive criteria.

8. A system for dividing Internet protocol (IP) packets into separate flows that is transmitted over different links, said system including: classification means comprising: means for determining whether said IP packets meet specified positive criteria based on one or more positive classifiers, wherein said determining comprises examining said IP packets to determine whether said IP packets are destined for a particular port; and means for separately determining whether said IP packets do not meet other negative criteria based on one or more negative classifiers, wherein said separate determining comprises examining said IP packets to determine whether said IP packets are directed to or from a particular IP address using said particular port; means for directing said IP packets to an enhanced flow responsive to a determination that said IP packets meet said specified positive criteria and do not meet said other negative criteria; and means for directing said IP packets to a best effort flow responsive to a determination that said IP packets meet said specified positive criteria and meet said other negative criteria.

9. The system recited in claim 8 including means for transmitting said classified packets in flows on a link between a Cable Modem (CM) to a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS).

10. The system recited in claim 9 wherein said packets flow in both directions between said CM and said CMTS.

11. A system including a means for transmitting packets between a CM and a CMTS wherein both said CM and said CMTS include a classification means as recited in claim 8 .

12. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said means for determining if said packets meet specified positive criteria compares the characteristics of packets to said one or more positive classifiers as specified by a DOCSIS protocol.

13. A system as recited in claim 12 wherein said means for determining if said packets do not meet other negative criteria compares the characteristics of said packets to said one or more negative classifiers.

14. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said means for determining if said packets do not meet other negative criteria compares the characteristics of said packets to said one or more negative classifiers.

15. A system as recited in claim 8 wherein said means for determining if said packets meet specified positive criteria compares the characteristics of packets to said one or more positive classifiers as specified by the Packet Cable Multimedia protocol.

16. A system as recited in claim 15 wherein said means for determining if said packets do not meet other negative criteria compares the characteristics of said packets to said one or more negative classifiers.

17. A method of dividing Internet protocol (IP) packets flowing from a first unit to a second unit into a plurality of separate flows that have different amounts of allocated bandwidth, said method including the steps of at least one of a Cable Modem (CM) and a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS): responsive to receiving information from a policy server, and based at least in part on one or more previously established policies, establishing positive classifiers and negative classifiers based on at least one of a group of factors consisting of source MAC address, destination MAC address, source IP address, destination IP address, source port number, destination port number, and IP protocol type, determining if said packets meet the characteristics specified in said positive classifiers based on said at least one of said group of factors, subsequently and separately determining if said packets do not meet the characteristics specified in said negative classifiers based on said at least one of said group of factors, and dividing said packets into an enhanced flow responsive to a determination that said IP packets meet said specified positive criteria and do not meet said other negative criteria and into a best effort flow responsive to a determination that said IP packets meet said specified positive criteria and meet said other negative criteria.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for performing the method recited in claim 17 when executed by the at least one of said CM and said CMTS.

19. The method recited in claim 17 wherein said classified packets are transmitted in flows on a link between a cable modem and a Cable Modem Termination System.

20. The method recited in claim 17 wherein said enhanced flow is transmitted with guaranteed QoS.

21. The method recited in claim 17 wherein said subsequent and separate determining if said packets do not meet the characteristics specified in said negative classifiers is responsive to a determination that said packets meet the characteristics specified in said positive classifiers.